“Mushroom- Harvo Tomato- Piyava Bhutti (Mushroom- Raw Tomato- Onion Curry)” … alambe bhutti is a traditional dish from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine prepared with Gud Gud Alambe/ thunder mushrooms available on in and around coastal areas of Mangalore- Udupi … Gud gud alambe are tiny mushrooms that grow just below the ground and the surface has to be dug up a little to remove them, the whereabouts of which are detected by ease by experts living in and around the area … in Mumbai, however it is not available and being an ardent lover of alambe, I have no choice but to prepare them with button mushrooms easily available and they taste equally good … bhutti tastes awesome paired with parathas/ roti … Yummilicious …
** I will not run into details/ history/ origins/ methods/ information of Gud Gud Alambe/ Thunder Mushrooms, dishes of which are one of the most loved by GSB Konkani Saraswats from in and around Dakshina Kannada District (Karnataka State) ie more so from Mangalore- Udupi where they are available in abundance on the the onset of first thunder- lightning of rainy season somewhere during the month of June.
** I have fond memories of relishing this dish be it prepared as Ambat or Bhutti, by Amma she prepared every season. The only tiring thing about it is the peeling of outer skin which is a pain, though the results compensate for it. Thanks to Prof. Kamath for this fantastic video on details about gud gud alambe/ mushrooms, its whereabouts etc. which you may check out on for more information in the link shared below …
** Living in Mumbai there are few things difficult to get though by and large almost everything is available and gud gud alambe/ thunder mushrooms is one of them. Many of my friends are lucky enough to get them either passed on by a visiting friend or relative. It has been almost 35 years since I savoured it, except maybe a few times on my parents visit to Mumbai, the very reason why I prepare it using button mushrooms.
** Alambe Bhutti (Mushroom Bhutti) using gud gud alambe is a delicious traditional dish from GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine which you must try if you have access to alambe. However, if not don’t worry, there is always the next best thing and ie button mushrooms which are easily available and taste equally good. I have added raw tomatoes which compliment the dish well, do try it and enjoy with your family and friends.
** Here is my recipe for “Mushroom- Harvo Tomato- Piyava Bhutti (Mushroom- Raw Tomato- Onion Curry)” … my style …
** Ingredients :
Fresh Button Mushrooms : about 15-20
Onion/ Piyavu/ Kanda : 1 small sized
Raw (Green) Tomatoes : 2-3 large sized
Salt/ Namak/ Meeta : to taste
** For Masala to be ground :
Oil/ Tel/ Tela : 1 tsp
Coconut/ Soyi/ Nariyal : 1 cup freshly grated
Kashmiri Dry Red chillies/ Byadgi Mirchi/ Kumte Mirsanga : 10-12
Coriander Seeds/ Dhania/ Kottambari : 2- 3 tblsp
** For Temepring/ Pannaka/ Tadka :
Oil/ Tel/ Tela : 2-3 tblsp
Onion/ Piyavu/ Kanda : 1 large sized
** Scrub and wash the fresh button mushrooms well to remove any dirt sticking to it. Now cut it into small ½ inch sized pieces, put it in a colander and rinse well under running water. Remove and keep it aside ready.
** Peel off the skin of onion, including the one for tempering, chop them finely and keep it aside ready separately. Wash, wipe dry and cut the raw (green) tomatoes also into ½ inch sized pieces and keep it also ready aside.
** For Masala to be ground : Heat oil in a small pan, when hot, lower the heat and add the coriander seeds and fry on medium heat until it turns lightly reddish, then add the red chillies and further fry for a minute, remove and add it into a mixer grinder along with coconut and grind to a fine paste adding very little water.
** Add mushrooms pieces into a pressure cooker pan with 1 cup of water and pressure cook on medium heat to one whistle only. Let the pressure fall on its own, open the lid and add the cooked mushroom into a thick bottomed kadai/ vessel along with tomato pieces, mix well and let cook on medium heat till tomatoes are half done.
** Important Note : For the curry you can use any one of the tart tasting fruit/ veggie mentioned like, bimbul (tree sorrel fruit), ambado (Hog Plum), karmbala (carmbola/ starfruit), ambuli (raw mango), harvo tomato (raw- green tomato), dried kokum, kudampuli etc. as is available regionwise. In case you do not have access to any one of them or they are not available or again, if you do not want to use them then for any reason, do not worry, you can add in a small marble sized piece of tamarind (chinchama/ Imly) while grinding the masala which is what is followed in GSB Konkani Saraswat Cuisine.
** Add the ground masala, one of the finely chopped onion, salt to taste, mix well, check and add water only if necessary and cook covered on low heat till it has been thoroughly cooked and done. Do stir it well in between and add more water if necessary to avoid the masala being burnt or stuck to the kadai, this is a semi dry curry.
** For Temepring/ Pannaka/ Tadka : Heat oil in a small pan, when hot add the finely chopped onion and fry on medium heat till it turns evenly to a light brown color. Remove and add this to the curry and mix well. Cook for another few minutes, then remove from heat and allow to rest aside covered for flavors to be infused.
** “Mushroom-Harvo Tomato- Piyava Bhutti (Mushroom- Raw Tomato- Onion Curry)” is done and ready to be served. Tastes best served with chapati/ parathas/ panpolo though you can serve it as a side dish with dal- rice too. In my home we love it served with shevai/ rice string hoppers too, a great combo to serve with if you have guests comin over. The recipe is same for gud gud alambe and if you have access to them do try it out, otherwise like most of us living elsewhere you too can try it out with button mushrooms that are easily available, it tastes equally wonderful.
** To the best of my knowledge they are available in most hilly regions, even in northern parts of India, this is what I heard of recently though I am not sure about it, check out link shared on top for more information and know exactly what gud gud alambe is, if you have a fair idea, it is easier to buy them when available. If at all in future, I do come across them or have access to it, then I will surely prepare and add picture here for my friends, who have always been my inspiration to try more recipes, TC and keep smiling.
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Thanks.